 |
| My two hawthorns on left. |
In response to my previous tree-following post, several readers (or perhaps one in multiple guises) suggested the trees I’m following are Russian Hawthorns, Crataegus ambigua. This species has distinctive deeply-lobed leaves, and is a popular landscaping tree for our climate.
 |
|
Russian Hawthorn, Crataegus ambigua, is native to southern Russia (source).
|
I made a quick visit to the Art Building to see what the two trees I'm following were up to, and to compare leaves. Others of the same kind grow nearby, and they had immature fruit, confirming they're hawthorns. The leaves are indeed deeply lobed.
 |
| Another hawthorn tree nearby, covered in young fruit. |
So why did I never see flowers on my trees? This time I looked more carefully, and found a cluster of fruit on one. For some reason, these two trees don't invest much in reproduction, at least not this year.
 |
| On one of my trees, I saw one branch with fruit. |
 |
| Another view of same branch. |
In the corner behind, I spotted an oak seedling. Had some creature stashed an acorn here? From where?
Then I had to flee. The mosquitos were terrible, and I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt! And it was Sunday, so the building was locked—no refuge, and no art this month.
This is my monthly contribution to the virtual tree-following gathering kindly hosted by The Squirrelbasket. Considering joining us—always interesting, even with mosquitos.
